Category: Associate Projects

Molecular Modeling of the C-terminal End of Human Intestinal Mucin (MUC2) Student: Hong Long Department: Chemical Engineering Advisor: Rebecca Carrier Abstract Intestinal mucus, a secretion that lines the mucosa, is believed to be a major barrier to the absorption of many therapeutic compounds. However, there is no full understanding of the molecular interaction between drug…

Microbial Corsortia Student: Kenice Frank Department: Biology Advisor: Slava Epstein Abstract Uncultivated bacteria exhibit a large source of unknown secondary metabolites and genes involved in bioremediation and other interesting biotechnological processes. In nature, bacteria populations occur in communities and consortia consisting of assemblies of two (and more) different microorganisms. The bacteria in these consortia interact…

Magnetically Induced Hyperthermia and Drug Delivery with Liposomes Student: Evan Jost Department: Physics Advisor: Sri Sridhar Abstract Current methods of cancer treatment involve a variation of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. One of the limitations with chemotherapy is that it not only kills cancerous cells but also damages healthy tissue. This is an issue since there…

Magnetically Induced Hyperthermia Student: Erin Pritchard Department: Physics Advisor: Sri Sridhar Abstract Hyperthermia is a process by which iron oxide nanoparticles are used to increase the temperature of a region when exposed to a magnetic field. As the concentration of the particles increases, the heat tends to increase as well. Depending on the temperature threshold…

Magnetically Induced Hyperthermia Student: Shane Lloyd Department: Biology Advisor: Sri Sridhar Abstract Hyperthermia is a process by which iron oxide nanoparticles are used to increase the temperature of a region, such as a tumor, when exposed to a magnetic field. Depending on the temperature threshold of the specific region, magnetic particles can potentially eliminate the…

Intranasal Gene Delivery Using Cationic Liposomes: A Novel Treatment Strategy for Parkinson’s Disease Student: Robin Ortiz Department: Pharmaceutical Sciences Advisor: Barbara Waszczak Abstract Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has been shown to exert neuroprotective and neuroregenerative effects on substantia nigra (SN) dopamine neurons and has potential in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. However, clinical…

Fluorescent Tagging Of Cells Via Conjugation With CdTe Quantum Dot – TiO2 Nanotube Composite Nanostructures Student: J. Spencer Morris Department: Physics Advisor: Latika Menon Abstract There exists a growing need for the tagging of individual cells in vitro, and ultimately cellular components and cells in vivo, as biologists and biochemists require increasingly fundamental data sets. A…

Electrical Release of Magnetic Nanoparticles from Liposomes Student: Craig Levy Department: Physics Advisor: Sri Sridhar Abstract Magnetic nanoparticles are of interest for various biomedical applications, including cancer treatment. Liposomes, small spheres composed of lipid bilayers, are already used to encapsulate and release drugs. It may be possible to use these liposomes to encapsulate nanoparticles and…

Drug-Eluting Titanium Oxide Nanotube Arrays Student: James Maniscalco Department: Physics Advisor: Sri Sridhar Abstract Titanium oxide nanotube arrays provide a strong alternative to current drug-eluting implants which employ polymer coatings. While the polymer coatings degrade over time, the nanotubes are characteristic of the surface and do not degrade. Moreover, titanium and titanium oxide are biocompatible,…

Collagen Nanoloom Student: Kathryn Portale Department: Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Advisor: Jeffrey Ruberti Abstract Collagen is the principal load bearing molecule in mammals and can be found in bone, ligament, cornea, tendon and cartilage, among other tissues. When the cell builds tissue scaffolds in vivo, the collagen fibers are aligned in a highly controlled manner,…